Hudson maxim



chief difiicult'ies in the employment of high percent. pyroxylin,

Henson MAX I M,-QF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FULMBNATING cocoons.

i forming part of Letters Patent No. 529,334, dated November 13, 1894 application filed Oc ber 2,1893. Serial Ho. 486,978. o specimens.) V

To an whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUDSON MAXIM, a citizen of the United States of America, resid-' mg 111 thecity, county, and Stateot New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fulminating Compounds, of which the-following is a specification.

' 3 fulminating compound for detonating large especially for use ectiles where it is masses of high explosives,

in aerial torpedoes or pro; necessary in order to obtain the highest def structive results of high explosives to employ a large quantity of fulminating compound.

It is well known in the art that one of the explosives in projectiles and aerial torpedoes 1B in throwing with safety a' sufiicient quan- -,tity of fulminate of mercury or fulminating compound. to secure complete detonation of the-high explosive thrown. If a sufficiently smallquantity of fulminate be. used, to insure safety, a secondary or incomplete detonation of the high explosive results; and on the other hand, if a. sufficient quantity of fulminate or fulminatiug compound suchas heretofore made be employed to secure complete detonation, there is imminent danger of premature detonation large quantity of fulminate necessary used.

In carrying out my nitro-glycerin with pyroxylin, preferably to a robbery consistence or to the consistence of raw rubber. This I do by employing usually about seventy-five to eightyfive per cent. nitro glycerin to from fifteen to twenty-five according to the st'ifitness or elasticity of the compound that may be desired. To facilitate the admixture of the nitro glycerin with. the pyroxylin I usually employ a suflicient quantity of a solvent of the pyroxylin in conjunction with the nitro glycerin to cause the mixture to be sufiiciently yielding'o'r pasty as to admit of the admix ture and thorough incorporation therewith of a desired quantity of fulminate of mercury. Ithen mix in the proper amount of fulminate such as fulminate of mercury or its equivalent, usually about the proportion of seventyfive to eighty-five per cent. of the entire com to be as to have no opportunity from the sensitiveness of the invention 1 thickenpcuntl. The solvent employedpreferably volatile such as acetonegis atterw d evaporated from the compound,'-leaving ghe same of a desired consistence; as regards lasticity and of a character as regards sensitiveness to percussion or detonation in proportion as the various ingredients are varied in quantity. -The ob ect of my invention lsto provide a I may prepare the above compoundot a.

porous or spongy character, that is, contain ing a large number of air spaces or pores. This may be done by agitating the compound in the presence of air when the compound will be of a proper consistence prior to the evaporationof the volatile solvent therefrom. -By this means I make a yielding or elastic tulminating compound, even when so confined to expand or yield laterally, the pores or air spaces permitting of the material to be compressed, whereas, were it non-porous it would be practicably incompressible, and more subject or sensitive to detonation from percussion. I may also, and I preferably, secure the desired'porosity of the compound by. using a. high grade pyroxylin or tri-nitr0 cellulose, added in a fine state of division, in the same manner as the fulminate is added, and it may be added in conjunction with the fulminate'. When proceeding in this manner it is necessary that the pyroxylin employed in forming the rubbery compound with nitro-glycerin be of a lower grade of nitration, andthat a volatile solvent of the same be employed which will not dissolve the higher grade of pyroxylin when the same is added in the fibrous condition. I usually employ wood alcohol for this purpose which is a very good solvent of thelower grades of pyroxylin while it does not dissolve that of the highest grade of nitration.

It is obvious that although I prefer to employ nitro-glycerin for the reasons specified herein, yet I' may obtain very good results without its employment, as in the last instances where a porous compound is made. Were the material not made porous and were not nitro glycerin employed and were the fulminate simply mixed into collodion or dissolved pyroxylin and the solvents the latter being afterward evaporated, the resulting compound would, be very dense, hard and not be detonatedby any ordinary means. In

fact, a compound of nitroglycerin and pyroxylin containing tWenty five percent. of pyroxylin may be said to be incapable of detonation when not mixed with a more sensitive explosive or detonating substance; butwhen such a substance is combined as described with fnlminate ofmercury or its equivalent, it may be detonated with'an ease in proportion to the quantity of fulminate employed.

Ihave secured very good results with equal.

thenitro-glyc'erin-py- I prefer to emyloy a minate asbeforedeparts of fulminate and roxylin compound, but larger percentage of ful scribed.

- It may be desirable in some compositions to add adeterring medium or-agent, such as nitro-benzole or nitro-naphthalene, to lessen the sensitiveness of the compound to detonation, in which case such agent may be added to the compound at any stage of the process of manufacture. i y

Stich a compon'nd'as I have described of fulm'i-uate, nitroglycerim pyroxylin, &'c., while it may be detonated by percussion, isstill much less sensitive to percussion than fulminate uncom binedior advantageous on with many of the lulminate mixtures improved fulminate compound is especially account of the enormous quantity of heat developed by the nitr'o-gly'c min in its combustion, while the rubbery na-' ture or elastic character of the compound rem 'ders it sufiiciently insensitive tojpercussion.

to per'mitof its being thrown from ordnance. I do not desire to confine'myself or limit my invention .to exact quantities or propertions of the constituents employed.

While I have described pyroxylin as the thickening medium of nitroglycerin it is obvious that other equivalent mediums may be used.

What is clai|ned is-' l. The herein described or elastic explosive, consisting of a fulminate with its particles agglutinated by a dissolved organic nitro-componnd.

2. The herein described pliable, yielding or elastic explosive consisting of.v an admixture of a fnlminate with adissolved nitrated carbohydrate -3. The herein described yielding orelastic explosive consisting of an admixture of a fulminate with adissolved drate and nitro-glycerin subsequently dried.

4. The herein describedyielding or elastic egplosive consisting of a fulminate agglutinated by means ofan organic nitro-com pound in conjunction withnitro-glycerin and a deterring agent for lessening its sensitive-nose to detonation.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two witnesses. HUDSON MAXIM;

Witnesses: GEO. M. GRAHAM,

E. L. Tom):

pliable, yielding heretofore employed. The

uitrated carbohy- 

